Fire extinguishing apparatus



March 3, 1942. E. GEERTZ FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2, 1939 5 Sheets-SheetI l ihk eerie E. GEERTz 2,274,783

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 2, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 3, 1942.

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March 3, 1942. E. GEERTZ FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 2, 1959 March 3, 1942. E. GEERTZ FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed Dec.

2, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zh? eefz 1 MQMM www March 3, 1942.

E. GEERTZ FIRE EXT INGUI SHING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 3, 1942 FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Eric Geerts, Glen Ellyn, Ill., asslgnor to Cardox Corporation, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois Application December 2, 1939, Serial No. 307,317

26 Claims.

This invention relates to new and usei'ul improvements in apparatus for extinguishing fires.

In my Patent No. 2,143,311, issued on January 10, 1939, there is disclosed and claimed a method of extinguishing res by means of carbon dioxide which is maintained in readiness for instant use at a controlled subatmospheric temperature and its corresponding vapor pressure. The patent discloses examples of apparatus which may be employed in carrying out the claimed methods. The illustrated example of a suitable source of supplyof the low temperature and pressure liquid carbon dioxide consists of an insulated storage container which is permanently installed in a building to be protected from damage by fire. Such a fixed storage installation is entirely satisfactory under such circumstances as where the user's properties are not widely scattered and can be conveniently protected from a central source of supply. It, also, is an exceedingly practical installation where a large quantity of liquid carbon dioxide is required for each hazard or building.

There are other circumstances and conditions under which a xed storage installation is not the most practical and economical way oi supplying the re extinguishing medium of the aforesaid patented method. For example, a company may own and operate quite a number of buildings scattered over a tract of land which covers considerable area and which is so located as to be entirely beyond the limits of any territory covered by city iire departments. These several buildings may present one iire hazard per building, or some or all of the buildings may each present two or more tire hazards. Complete extinguishment of a ilre involving any one of these various independent hazards or of lires involving all of the hazards in any one of the buildings may require the use of a comparatively small amount of liquid carbon dioxide as compared to the total requirements for all the buildings. For example, from one to eight tons of liquid carbon dioxide might afford proper protection for any one building in the group. However, to provide a ilxed storage installation in each one of the several buildings, which will be adequate to take care of the lire hazard or hazards involving that building might necessitate employing for the entire area storage containers having a total capacity of one or more hundred tons. Under such a set of conditions, the company can provide adequate protection for all` of its buildings if it maintains the liquid carbon dioxide required for any one of the buildings,

oi liquid carbon dioxide for the particular hazard or hazards involved. The liquid carbon dioxide stored in the tank unit may be very easily maintained at the desired low temperature and .pressure while the unit is idle in its garage.

Let us, also, assume that the iire department of a municipality has in the area it is responsible for quite a large number of buildings which present fire hazards that can be most eiectively protected by the use of carbon dioxide. Further, that there is an additional large number of buildings the owners or users of which vfully appreciate the superior qualities of low temperature and pressure liquid carbon dioxide as a re extinguishing medium and are desirous of having their properties protected from fire by its use. Of course, a fire ordinance could be passed to compel the owners of the rst mentioned properties to provide carbon dioxide nre protection systems which involve individual xed storage supplies and similar systems could be installed on the properties of those who particularly desire the same. kHowever, the ilre department of transportable tank units in which low temperature and pressure liquid carbon dioxide is stored in readiness for instant use upon reaching the scene of a fire. y

A fire of any magnitude raging in an enclosed space, such as a room of a building, can be very quickly and most effectively extinguished by totally flooding the enclosed space with low temperature, low pressure carbon dioxide. To extinguish a fire by total ooding, it is necessary to discharge into the space a suiilcient amount of carbon dioxide to provide at least a concentration of 30%. It is desirable, however, to create a concentration of to be certain of complete extinguishment, regardless of the type of combustible that may be in the room. This concentration should be created as rapidly as possible and must be maintained for a necessary length of time to effect complete extinguishment and to cool all involved heat absorbing objects below the temperature at which the combustible materials in the space will rekindle. It has been established by actual tests that low temperature, low pressure liquid carbon dioxide can be discharged from large capacity storage containers through pipes measuring at least four inches in diameter. A rate of discharge of approximately pounds per second has been obtained through pipes of this sise without encountering any dimculties, such as excessive pressure drops which will result in freeze ups. Of course, slower rates of discharge may be employed where adequate by merely providing smaller supply lines, by valving thelines to reducetherateofilombyreducingthetotal area of discharge to the atmosphere through the discharge nozzle or nasales, etc.

As an illustrative example, a room or other enclosed space, of 44,000 cubic foot capacity can be flooded in three minutes to provide a 44% of carbon dioxide concentration through a 1% inch feed line having a single noa-ale providing a total area oi' discharge to the atmosphere of approximately 0.8 square inch. If the space is reasonably well sealed, i. e., window and other sizeable openings being closed oil', the initial concentration will be maintained for approximately ten minutes and will drop to a concentration of in approximately 30 minutes. 01' course, if all sizeable openings are not reasonably well sealed, the above values will not apply, and it will be necessary to increase the rate of discharge into the space an ammmt which will be adequate to create and maintain the desired concentration in spite of the loss of carbon dioxide through the uncovered openings.

Of course, it is possible to eiiect total ilooding of a room or an enclosed space with low temperature and pressure carbon dioxide, stored in a transportable tank imit, by employing one or more flexible hose lines which are laid from the tank unit to the scene of the lire. This procedure becomes rather diiiicult and is very time consuming if the room to be iiooded can only be reached from the front street or a back alley by traversing long hallways, nights oi stairs, and numerous corners. It has been determined, however, that for the greatest possible eiiiciency. a nre protection system employing one or more large capacity transportable carbon dioxide tank units to provide ilre protection'for a large number of buildings presenting one or more nre hazards per building, the following equipment should be provided. Each building should have installed therein a piping system which will include pipe lines extending from a convenient location accessible from the exterior of the building to each minimum amount of equipment and quantity of stored extinguishing medium.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of apparatus which is particf ularly adapted for providing liquid carbon dioxide fire protection for a plurality of hasards in eaehone of anumber of distantlyloeated buildings by meansoi' a transportable source of aupply oi the extinguishing medium.

More specific objects oi the invention are the provision ot piping systems for buildings which will enable liquid carbon dioxide to be selectively delivered to any one or more of several rooms to accomplish nre extinguishment by complete flooding of the same, and to provide control systems which make it possible for a urcman to effect extinguishment oi fires in one or more enclosed spaces of a building by completely flooding the spaces with carbon dioxide and then rapidly conditioning the spaces for inspection to determine the extent of damage and to make certain that no glowing or smoldering embers remain which might cause rekindling of the nre, without requiring the fireman to enter the building prior to the extinguishment and conditioning Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course o! the iollowing description. v

In the accompanying drawings forming a part o! this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a building equipped to be protected from fires by the methods and apparatus embodying this invention and with a liquid carbon dioxide transportable tank unit drawn up at the curb in front of the building and connected to the piping systeminreadinesstoextinguishthefiresburning in one or all of the protected spaces,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary. horizontal sectional view showing the interior of the building of Fig. i and the nre extinguishing system employed for providing protection for four enclosed spaces or rooms of the building.

Figure 3 is a verticalsectional view taken on line 3 3 of F'lg. 2,

Figure 4 is a detail, front elevational view of one of the several rooms to'be provided with fire 50 th exterior 1105 000911118 8nd control Pme! protection. Completely automatic, semi-automatic, or purely manual control means 'should be provided which will make it possible for the exact amount of carbon dioxide to be delivered to the particular room or rooms involved. Such control means should operate to eliminate any possibility of wasting the extinguishing medium in putting out a iire in any particular room and thereby enable maximum protection to be obtained with alimited amount of liquid carbon dioxide. With such equipment, a transportable tank unit can be driven to the building and quickly connected to the piping system. The control means then may be properly manipulated and the fire quickly ex-- tinguished. If the control system is suillciently automatic in its operation, the extinguishment may be accomplished without necessitating firemen entering the building. This is a very desirable feature where the building contains explosive materials or houses high potential electric equipment.

The invention hu for its primary object the provision of apparatus for providing liquid carbon dioxide fire protection for a large number which is illustrated in Fig. 2 as being mounted in the front wall of the building,

Figure 5 is a detail, horizontal sectional view of the coupling and control panel disclosed in Fig. 4.

Figures 6, '7, and 8 are. respectively, a side elevationalview and two vertical sectional views of a. liquid carbon dioxide flow operated, electric circuit control device which is incorporated in each one of the pipe lines leading from the exterior control panel to each one of the rooms to beprotected,

Figure 9 is a detail, vertical sectional view of a weight operated valve mechanism which is duplicated and employed for automatically operating certain valves arranged in the piping system illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3,

Figure l0 is a partly elevational and partly vertical sectional view of a motor driven timer mechanism which automatically operates to produce the desired sequential actuation of the various electrical instrumentalities incorporated in the system.

Figure 1l is a detailed vertical sectional view of buildings or independent iire hazards with a taken at right angles to the disclosure of Fig. 10,

Figure 12 is an exploded view of the several cam elements of the timer mechanism disclosed in Figs. and ll,

Figure 13 is a front elevational view, partly broken away. of a modified form of exterior hose coupling and control panel which may be employed in place of the panel illustrated in Figs. i, 4, and 5,

Figure 14 illustrates the wiring diagram for the system disclosed in Figs. l to 12, inclusive, and

Figure 15 illustrates the wiring diagram for the modified form of control system illustrated in Fig. 13.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration are shown the preferred embodiments of this invention, and particularly referring to Fig. 1, the reference character 2l designates one of several buildings to be protected from lires by means of the transportable tank unit 2l which is drawn up at the curb in front of the building. It is to be understood that the system need not be designed for fire protection at the front of the building if any other exterior walls are situated with respect to alleys or other open spaces so that a hose line leading from the truck unit 2| may be readily laid thereto.

No detailed features of construction will be specifically described in connection with the transportable tank unit 2l other than to point out that this unit may be designed to conveniently hold and transport-one or more tons of low temperature, low pressure liquid carbon dioxide f which may be discharged through one or more hose lines 22. Transportation tank units of this character have been used and moved over the highways which are adapted to carry up to eight tons of liquid carbon dioxide. I do not desire to be limited to this particular maximum capacity as railway tank cars having twenty-four tons capacity have been successfully operated, and it is conceivable that larger road tank units can be provided. If more specific information regarding such a transportable tank unit is desired, reference may be made to my copending application Ser. No.'263,30i, filed March 21, 1939, for Mobile fire fighting apparatus.

Referring now to Figs. l to 5, inclusive, it will be seen that the building has mounted in its front wall the hose coupling and control panel 23 which is disclosed in detail in Figs. 4 and 5 as being of box-like formation. Although not specically illustrated, it is believed to be desirable to provide a cover for this control panel which may be closed and locked to prevent tampering with the various instrumentalities which otherwise would be accessible to everyone passing the building. The operator of the transportable unit 2i may be provided with a master key which will fit the locks for the covers of all control panels falling within the territory to be protected by his particular tank unit.

The control panel includes the various wall portions 24 which have suitably secured thereto the panel board 25. Extending through this panel board is a pipe section 26 which has mounted on its outer end portion the coupling member 21 which is adapted for use in connecting the hose line 22 to the said pipe section. The inner end of this pipe 26 is connected to the branch or inlet 22 of the manifold pipe 23. Fig. 5 discloses this manifold as having connected thereto four branch lines 30, 3|, 32, and 33. These branch lines have mounted therein sultable valves 34, 35, 33, and 31, respectively, which have valve stems 33, 39, 40, and 4i extending therefrom through the panel board 25. An operating handle is provided for each one of these valve stems and the four handles are designated by the reference characters 42, 43, 44, and 45, respectively.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the various branch lines 35 to 33, inclusive, are illustrated as extending through the basement 46 of the building and through partition walls 41 and 48 which are arranged between the four rooms RI, R2, R3, and R4. The branch line 30 is clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 as being connected at its upper end to a discharge nozzle 49 which opens into the room RI. The branch line 3| is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 as being connected at its upper end to a discharge nozzle which opens into the room R2. To illustrate the possibility of more rapidly flooding a large room, an extension line 3i' leads from branch line 3i to a second discharge nozzle 50 for room R2. The branch line 32 has connected to its upper end a discharge nozzle 5I which opens into the room R3. A discharge nozzle 52 is connected to the upper end of the branch line 33 and communicates with the room R4. It will be noted that these various discharge nozzles 43 to 52, inclusive, are located in the walls or partitions 4l and 43 adjacent the ceilings of the several rooms. In completely ilooding an enclosed space with the carbon dioxide vapors and snow which will be discharged from the nozzle communicating with the room, it has been found to be very desirable to effect this discharge adjacent the ceiling of the room as the vapors and snow are heavier than air and will gradually settle toward the iloor.

The nozzles 49 to 52, inclusive, should be of proper design to cause the low temperature and low pressure liquid carbon dioxide to be converted to vapor and snow as a result of being permitted to suddenly expand in the atmosphere. An appropriate nozzle design is disclosed in the application filed by Harry Ensminger on December 22, 1938, Serial Number 247,268.

As has been pointed out above, the best way in which to extinguish a fire in an enclosed space is to flood the space with carbon dioxide for the purpose of obtaining a desired, predetermined concentration. This concentration of carbon dioxide will remain for an appreciable length of time if the space is properly closed or sealed. It is desirable to maintain a certain concentration for a suilicient length of time to bring about complete extinguishment of the fire and complete cooling of all involved objects to a temperature below that at which the combustible materials will rekindle. Such an extinguishing and cooling concentration renders the enclosed space unfit for occupancy by human beings. To expedite the fire righting operation, therefore, it becomes desirable to mechanically exhaust the carbon dioxide vapors from the room or rooms in which complete flooding has taken place. As the vapors tend to settle toward the floor line, it is desirable to connect exhausting means with the protected spaces at points close to the floor.

In Figs. 2 and 3. an exhaust blower 53 is illustrated as being located in the basement 46 and as having connected to its inlet a main conduit 54 which communicates with manifold branch conduitsl 55 and 56. Manifold conduit 55 cornmunicates with the branches 51 and 53. Manifold branch conduit 56 is communicates with branch lines 59 and 60. An exhaust register 5i m m E s n um .am

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The timer of these figures consists of an appropriate supporting base 90 which has mounted thereon a small electric motor 99 having an armature shaft Il which is connected by speed reducing gearing 9| to a timer shaft 92. Although the gearing 9| may provide any degree of reduction desired, for the particular example to be considered, the reduction gearing 9| should be appropriate to drive the timer shaft 92 one complete revolution every twenty minutes. This timer shaft is suitably supported above the base 99 by means of brackets 93.

Fig. 12 discloses in detail the contours of five cams which are identified by the reference characters 94 to 99, inclusive. Legends appear under each one of these cam discs which designate the devices or instrumentalities to be controlled by the same.

Fig. 10 discloses these various cam discs 94 to 99, inclusive. mounted on the timer shaft 92. The mechanism employed for securing these cam discs to the timer shaft is illustrated in connection with the sectional disclosure of cam disc 94. 'I'his securing means will be described as follows:

also are provided in the several discs for receiv ing the pins |9l whicharecarried by the flanges |02 of the split sleeves |03 which are arranged on opposite sides of the camV disc. Clamping nuts i various timer discs to the timer shaft 92 so that l the discs will .rotatek with the shaft. v

Fig. l0 discloses a mercury switch element |04 for each one of the cam discs 94 to 90, inclusive. Fig. ll discloses in detail the mounting for each one of these mercury switch elements.

Upstanding bracket arms |05 are connected to the supporting base 00 and carry a panel |06 formed of suitable insulating material. A bracket arm |01 is provided for each mercury switch element and is secured to the upper edge portion of the insulating panel |06. Each bracket arm |01 has pivoted thereto a lever arm |00 which has journaled at its outer end a roller |09 adapted to ride on the periphery of the particular cam disc employed for operating the mercury switch being considered.

Fig. l1 illustrates the cam disc 94 and its associated mercury switch |04. A mounting bracket H0 is suitably secured to the lever arm |09 and supports an insulating plate which carries the mounting clips ||2 for the mercury switch element |04. It will be appreciated that the weight of the elements |09, ||0, ||2, and |04 will retain the roller |09 in contact with the periphery of its respective cam disc. When the rollers |09 are in engagement with the high parts of their cam discs, the mercury switch elements |04 are arranged or supported in open circuit positions. When the rollers |09, see the roller for disc 99 at the right ofFig. l2, are in engagement with the low portions of their cam discs, the mercury switch elements |04 are in their circuit closing positions. In Fig. l0 the four mercury switch elements 04, starting from the left and proceeding toward the right, are in their open circuit position while the remaining or fifth mercury switch element |04 is in its circuit closing position. In Fig. l2 the rollers |09 are arranged in the positions they normally assume during the idle periods of this timer mechanism or with the circuits open for the fire door, the CO2 valve. the exhaust valve. and the blowen The mercury switch element |04 actuated by the timer cam disc 99 normally is in its circuit closing position.

The desired sequential operation of the various automatically controlled instrumentalities should not start until the firemen arrive on the scene and carbon dioxide is actually being delivered to the room to be flooded. Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, disclose means employed for closing the circuit of the timer motor 09 as a result of starting the feeding of carbon dioxide through the desired branch line 30 to 33, inclusive. As this circuit controlling mechanism is duplicated for each of these carbon dioxide branch lines, a description of this mechanism in connection with line 33 will be sufficient for all of the lines.

Inserted at a suitable point in the branch line 33 is a tubular member ||3 which has flanges ||4 at its opposite ends that are suitably bolted, or otherwise secured to flanges ||5 carried by sections of the line 33. It is to be understood that a tight, pressure joint should be provided between these twov flanges to prevent loss of carbon dioxide when it is being discharged through the line 33. Figs. 'Zand S'disclose a blade H6 arranged in the bore of the tubular element lf3. This Vblade is carried by a shaft which is joumaled in bearings'. H9. Suitable packing should be provided forthe shaft to prevent leakage of the carbon dioxide between .the shaft and its supporting bearings H8. The projecting end' portion ||9 *ofA the shaft ||`|v has mounted thereon a' bracket V|20 which carries an insulatthat support the mercury switch element |23.

l The element |23 is illustrated in Fig. 6 in its open circuit position. A stop |24 is carried by the tubular element ||3 and functions to support thel mercury switch element |23 in thisvopen circuit position. When in this position, the blade IIB is arranged as disclosed inFigs. 7 and 8 in full lines and in Fig. 6 in dotted lines. A recess |25 is provided in the wall of the tubular element ||3 to receive the blade ||6 when it is moved through degrees by the flow of liquid carbon dioxide through the element. When the blade ||6 is moved into the recess |25, the mercury switch element |23 is moved into the dotted line position of Fig. 6 and closes the circuit to the timer motor 89. It will be explained in connection with the wiring diagram of Fig. 14 that the mercury switch element |23 and the mercury switch element |04 which is actuated by the cam disc 98 control the circuit for the timer motor 09. Normally the circuit is closed by the mercury switch element |04 and is opened by the mercury switch element |23. At the start of the feeding of carbon dioxide the circuit for the timer motor 09 is completely closed by the movement of the switch element |23 into its dotted line position of Fig. 6. After the timer` motor has operated for a predetermined length of time, its circuit is broken by actuation of the mercury switch element |04 controlled by the cam disc 98.

Referring again to Fig. l2, it will be noted that the roller |09 for the flre door cam disc 94 will be allowed to drop into the low portion |25 promptly after the timer motor has started and the disc 94 rotates in the direction of the arrow applied thereto. The roller |09 of this disc 04 will remain in the low portion |29 for a sumcient interval of time of close the circuit for the solenoid of the fire door latch mechanism which is controlled by the mercury switch element |04 operated by the cam disc 94. It is only necessary to retain the fire door solenoid 00 energized a sufficient length of time to unlatch the fire door. The door then moves by gravity into its closed positionl As the roller |09 moves out of the low portion |25 of the cam disc 94 the circuit to the solenoid 69 is broken.

It will be considered that sufllcient carbon dioxide will be fed through the branch line 33 into the room R4 in one minute, or 60 seconds to completely flood this room and bring the carbon dioxide concentration up to the value desired to extinguish the fire. The high part |20 of the cam disc 95 represents the movement of this disc, in the direction of its arrow, during the ilrst 60 seconds of operation of the timer shaft 92. The roller |09 for the cam disc 95 then will drop into the low portion |21 of its disc. This movement of the roller |09 will cause the mercury switch element |04, which is actuated by the cam disc 95, to be moved into its circuit closing position. The circuit then will be closed for the solenoid 0l which controls the weight 0| that operates the carbon dioxide shut oi! valve 11 in the line 33. The feeding of carbon dioxide to room R4 then stops although the valve for this line which is manually controlled by the wheel 40 is still left open. As it only requires a momentary energiza- -tion of the solenoid to trip the weight 0|, the roller |09 for the cam disc 95 again moves to the high part of the disc and remains on this high part until the timer motor again comes to rest.

In the illustrative example being given, it will be understood that maintaining the desired concentration in the room R4 for nine minutes after the feeding of carbon dioxide has stopped will be suilicient to effect complete extinguishment ofthe fire in this room. Therefore, ten minutes after the carbon dioxide is turned on it becomes desirable to open the exhaust valve 01 for room R4 and to close the circuit for the blower or exhaust fan 53. High portions |20 and |29 of cam discs 9E and 91 are intended to represent an elapsed period of ten minutes. After this time interval has elapsed, the rollers |09 for the cam discs 96 and 91, respectively, drop into the lower portions |30 and |3| of these two cams. 'I'he third and fourth mercury switch elements |04 then are moved into their circuit closing positions. The mercury switch element operated by the cam disc 96 closes the circuit to the solenoid 05 which controls the weight that operates the valve 01 in the exhaust branch conduit 60. Momentary energization of this exhaust valve solenoid 05 accomplishes the desired result and the circuit to this solenoid is again broken by the movement of the roller |09 back onto the high portion of the cam 96. It is necessary, however, to keep the blower operating approximately eight minutes to effect complete exhaustion of the carbon dioxide gas from the room R4. The lower portion |3| of cam disc 91, therefore, represents the elapse of eight minutes. The circuit to the blower or exhaust fan 53 is then broken by movement of the roller |09 back onto the high portion of cam disc 01.

During these eight minutes of operation. the roller |09 for the cam disc 90 has been traveling over the low portion |32 of this disc. After eight minutes, this roller is moved up onto the high portion |33 of this cam disc 90 with the result that the mercury switch element |04, at the right of Fig. l0, is moved into its circuit breaking position and the timer motor 09 is stopped. The timer mechanism remains in this condition until it is reset for further use.

It will be appreciated that a fireman now may enter room R4 to determine the extent of damage done by the nre and to ascertain whether the fire is completely extinguished. If any small localized fires or beds of glowing embers are found as a result of this inspection, final extinguishment can be accomplished by means of a portable hand extinguisher. If the fire has not been suillciently extinguished to enable portable hand extinguishers to complete the work, it is pombie to again feed carbon dioxide into the room by manually opening the valve 11 arranged in the branch line The above described operation has resulted in the extinguishment of the fire in the room R4. The control panel board 20 in Fig. 4 indicates that a nre, also, is burning in room R2, It was described above that the feeding of carbon dioxide to room R4 for 60 seconds provided the desired degree of concentration and the discharge was automatically stopped by actuation of the valve 11 in the branch line 33. The actuation of this carbon dioxide shut oi! valve 11 is indicated to the fireman by the actuation of the signal light |34 shown in Figs. 4 and 14. After the flow of carbon dioxide is stopped through the branch line 33, the fireman may open the valve in the branch line 3| by manipulating the valve control handle 43. The signal lights |34, therefore, prevent the fireman from unintentionally feeding carbon dioxide to two or more rooms at any one time, as this double feeding of carbon dioxide would destroy the accuracy of they timing mechanism.

'I'he fireman also is advised when the exhaust valve for any room is opened and the exhaust motor is started by energization of the signal light |30 provided for each exhaust line. These signal lights |30 are illustrated in Figs. 4 and 14.

The wiring diagram disclosed in Fig. 14 is for the system illustrated in Figs. 1 to 12, inclusive. This wiring diagram now will be described.

Th'e reference characters |34 and |35 designate the two main supply lines which may carry either or 220 volts. This voltage will be stepped down by the transformer |30 to approximately 24 volts for the control circuit which includes the supply lines |31 and |30.

The first circuit to be closed is the one for the annunciator magnet 15 of the room or rooms in which the fire is burning. The branch wires |39 and |40 are connected to the control circuit supply wires |30 and |31. respectively, and lead to the magnet winding 10. The heat responsive, circuit closing device 11 is connected in series with the winding for the magnet 15 and is specifically in the branch line |30.

The next circuit to be energized is the control circuit for the timer motor 00. This control circult includes the branch line |4| in which the mercury switch element |23 is interposed. This branch line |4| extends to and is connected with the winding for the solenoid |42 which operates the movable contact |43. The second side of the winding |42 is connected by a branch wire |44 with the mercury switch element |04 which is controlled by the cam disc 00. The control circuit for the switch solenoid coil |42 is completed by the branch line |40 which connects with the control circuit supply line |38. The specic actuating circuit for the timer motor 89 includes a line |48 which is connected to the supply line |31 at one end and to the contact |41 at its other end. A second line extends from the second contact |48 to one brush of the timer motor 89. This second wire bears the reference character |48. The second brush of the timer motor is connected by the branch line |50 to the control circuit wire |38. When the solenoid coil |42 is energized. as a result of actuation of the mercury switch element |23, the switch formed by the elements |43, |41, and |48 is closed and the timer motor 89 started.

The next control circuit to be energized involves the solenoid 69 which controls the latch for the fire door of the room involved. 'I'his circuit includes the mercury switch element |04 which is controlled by the cam disc 94. One lead ot this mercury switch element is connected to one terminal of the solenoid winding 69 and bears thereference character |5|. The second terminal oi' this solenoid winding is connected by a branch line |52 with a common line |53 which extends to and is connected with the control circuit supply line- |38. 'The remaining terminal of the mercury switch element |04 is connected by a branch wire |54 to a common line |55 which extends to and is connected with the control circuit supply line |31. Manipulation of the mercury switch element |04 connected in the circuit of the-fire door solenoid 69 will make and break this circuit.

The next circuit to be closed controls the solenoid for the carbon dioxide shut ofi valve 11 in the line leading to the room involved. This control circuit includes the mercury switch element which is actuated by the cam disc 95. lOne side of this mercury switch element is connected by the wire |56 tothe common line |55. Theremaining branch' line `|51 for this circuit extends to and is connected with one terminal of the extends to the main supply line |34'. A second wire |61 extends to the contact |68 of the switch controlling the blower motor circuit. A second contact |69 is connected by the line |10 with the main supply line |35'. When the cam disc 81 operates to move the mercury switch element |04 controlled by the same to close the circuit for the switch operating solenoid winding |84, the movable contact |1| is actuated or shifted to bridge between the stationary contacts |68 and |69 and the blower circuit is closed. The cam disc 91, after the lapse of a predetermined time interval, will actuate the mercury switch element |04 for breaking the circuit tol the switch controlling winding |64 and the blower or exhaust fan motor |6| will be stopped.

Figs. 13 and l5 disclose a modified form oi control system which is not automatic in its operation to the same extent as the system illustrated and described in connection with Figs. 1 to l2, inclusive, and 14. It is to be understood, however, that the control mechanism of Figs. 13 and |5 is applicable to the building structure disclosed in Figs. l, 2, and 3.

This modified form of control includes a control panel 23a which is to be mounted in the exterior wall of a building, as disclosed in Figs.

weight controlling solenoid 85. This branch line |51 has the signal light |34 in circuit therewith. The remaining side of the valve controlling solenoid 85 is connected by the wire |58 to the common wire |53.

The next circuit to be kenergized controls the solenoid 85 for the exhaust valve 81. 'Ih'is circuit includes the mercury switch element |04 which is controlled by the cam disc 96. A branch line |58 connects one side of this mercury switch element |04 to the common line |55. The branch line |59 connects the other side of the mercury switch element to one terminal of the solenoid 95 which controls the weight that actuates the exhaust valve. This wire |59 has the signal light |35 in its circuit. A branch line |80 connects the other terminal of this valve operating solenoid 85 to the common line |53.

The next circuit to be energized is the control circuit for the electric motor |6| which operates the blower or exhaust fan 53. This control circuit includes the mercury switch element |04 that is actuated by the cam disc 91. One side of this mercury switch element is connected Iby the branch line |82 with the common wire 55. The other side of the mercury switch element is connected by a wire |63 which leads to one terminal of the switch controlling solenoid coil |64. 'I'he remaining terminal oi this winding |64 is connected by a wire |65 to th'e control circuit supply line |38. The blower or exhaust fan motor |6| is to be operated by the current of the main supply lines |34 and |35' and includes a wire |66 which l, 2, and 5. Branch lines 30a, 3|a, 32a, and 33a are intended to lead to the rooms Rl to R4, respectively. These branch lines are connected to a manifold 29a and the connections are controlled by the valve operating wheels 42a, 43a, 44a, and 45a. A main pipe 26a is connected to the mani- `fold 28a and is intended to have the hose line 22 of the transportation tank unit 2| connected thereto in the manner `illustrated and described in connection with Figs. l and 5.

The supply pipe 2 6a'has connected thereto a cylinder |14 by means of the tube |12. When liquid carbon dioxide is flowing through the pipe 26a, vthe manifold 29a, and one of -the branch lines 30a to 33a, the carbon dioxide will build up a pressure in the cylinder |1| which will actuate the piston |12 to move the-same against the pres f sure of the spring |13. The piston |12 has a piston rod |14 connected thereto and extending outside of the cylinder |1|. A roller |15 is carried by the piston rod |14. When the carbon dioxide pressure moves the piston |12 longitudinally of the cylinder |1|', the roller |15 will be moved to shift the switch blade |16 into engagement with the contact |11 of the switch |18.

By referring to Fig. l5, it will be seen that this switch |18 is connected in a line |19 which leads from the control circuit supply line |31a. This branch line |19 also leads to one brush of the timer motor |80. This motor is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 13. The other brush of this motor is connected by a branch line |8| to the control circuit supply line |3811.

This pressure operated switch |18 also controls the circuit to solenoids 69a which operate the latching mechanisms for all of the ilre doors 65 to 69, inclusive, see Fig. 2. The circuits for these fire door controlling solenoids include the branch lines |82 and |83 which, respectively, are connected to the branch line |19 of the switch |18 and the control circuit supply line |38a. Lead wires |84 and |85 connect the opposite terminals of the solenoid coils 69a to the lines |82 and |83.

Push button switches |86 and |81 are employed, respectively, for making and breaking the circuits to the carbon dioxide shut off valves 11 and the exhaust control valves 81. In other 8 muss words, these valves 'Il and il are manually car trolled by the push button switches lll and I II. The circuit to the blower motor is manually ctmtrolled by the push button switch |88. It is to be understood that switches Ill and Ill are duplicated for each one of the rooms RI to Rl while a single switch I is employed for controlling the circuit to the blower or exhaust Ian motor lila, see Fig. 15. Furthermore, the pressure of the carbon dioxide ilowlng through one of the branch lines 30a to 33a autmnacally functions to start the timing motor Ill and to close all of the ilre doors.

The timing motor III is employed to operate mechanism which will indicate to the iireman the elapse oi time so that he can manually control the feeding of carbon dioxide to the involved rooms and control the exhausting of the earbm dioxide vapors from said rooms. Although not shown, a plate may be provided on the panel board 25a of the control panel 23a which will bearthenecessaryinstructionsfortherenan to enable him to feed the right amount of! cal-bm dioxide to each room, etc.

For denoting the lapse of time, the timer motor Ill has an armature shaft Il! which drives a disc llocatedinbaclrofthepanelboardlla. The panel board has windows III and Il! formed therein. The timer motor driven disc Ill is provided with four slots or openings I!! which are adapted to register with the window Il! in the panel board 25a. 'I'he timer motor driven disc I" also is provided with a slot Il! which is adapted to register with the panel board window ISI. Electric signal lights I and Ill are locatedinbackofthedisc Illandlnalisnmmt with the windows III and In. The timer motor Illshouldbeofsuchaconstructionasto rotate the disc ISI a single complete revolutim in 60 seconds or one minute. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the passage of the slot lli between the signal light IIS and the window III will occur once every minute. The slots In, however, will pass between the signal light I" and the windowA Il! every llIteen seconds. The tlreman,bywatchingthesignalathmughthe windows ISI and |92 can determine the pamage oftimeinminute and lsecondintervalsandin this way can properly time the feeding ot carbon dioxide and the exhausting oi' the carbon dioxide vapors. When the source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide under prmsure is disconnected from the pipe 26a, the pressure within the cylinder III willdrop and the switch III may be opened, either manually or by mcam o1' a spl-hm device, not shown.

Fig. will be further referred to in connection with the circuits for the push button switches IIS, III, and III. The carbon dioxide shutd! valve and the exhaust valve push button switch |86 and Ill, respectively, have in their circuits solenoids li, see Fig. 9. One terminal ot the solenoid liin the circuit oftheswitch Iliisconnectedbythewire Ill to thecontrolcimuitsupply line Illa. The other side of this solendd ia connectedbythe wire Itotheterminallllot the switch lli. The remaining terminal III is connected by the wire 2l! to a wire 2l! which extends to and is connected with the control current supply line lila. 'lhe solenoid Il for the switch Iilisconnectedtothewirellqa branchwireZM. Thesecond sideofthisaolenoid coll II is connected by a wire 2li to the terminal!" o! the switch II'I. The second termhnlorconhctmolthiaswitchisconnected luih'ewireltothewhel.

The cmtrol drcuit supply lines Illa and Illa are supplied withacurrent of approximately 24 voltshymeanaotthetransformerillawhich recdvu its current frrln the main supply lines Imandla.

The hhwermotcr lila is to be operated from themainsupplylinmlllaandla. Aline!" leadafromone brush of thisblower motor to the mainsupplylineluo. Asecondwirelllleads fmtheaecondbnishofthemotorlllatothe terminal!" ofaswitch which includesasecondtenninalzl! thatisconnectedby the wire Illtothemain supplyline Illa. Amovable contact 2M k adapted to be moved into and out otcircuitclosingposionwithrespecttothestatimary contacta 2II and Il! by energization of theaolenoidcnillll. Onesideotthiscoilis connectedbythewireltothccontrol circuit supply line Illa. Theaecond side of this solenddcoilllliacmnectedluthewirelll tothe terminalllloftheplmhbutton or switch Ill. Theaecnudte'minallllotthisswitchiscom nectedlivythewlrenltotheccntrolcircultsup Dlylinclm AlthoughPigs. 13 andl5 do not disclose annlmciatordrqzeandtheircircuitsiorthevariouscarbmdioxidefeedingbranchlinesmto aandthcrollnal toRltowhichthese bramhlinmitistobeunderstoodthat annunchtoraoi'thetypeillustratedinl'lgs.4 andMmayheprovIdedifdcsired. Itistobeundentoodthattheformsofthisinvmhcnherewithshownanddescribedaretobe takenasxl'eferredexamplcsof thesame,and thatvarkadmngesintheshape,sise,andar ranaunmtofmrbmayberesortedtowithout departlng hun the sllrit of the invention or the scopeotthewbjdncdclaims.

ofthetypedescribedcanprlsing the combinaonwithahnildinghavingseveralroomstobe providedwithm'epsoteetlmofapipingsystcm extending pruvlbdwithilrelnotectiomofapipingsystem inchndingllpelinextendingfroma-common pointextcrlorothebuildimtoeachoneotsaid romamanualvalveineachlineforstarting theowdcarbmdhxidetherethrougnapower opeatedvalveineachlineforstowingthefiow atterthehpaeofapredcterminedtimeinterval, mota' driven timer meclnninn for measuring thehpeottlmetlaidpoweroperatedvalve,

discharge means connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to discharge into the room to which its pipe line extends, and means for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the pipe line leading to the room in which .a fire is burning to effect complete flooding of the room with carbon dioxide vapors moved under their own pressure through the single pipe line and its discharge means.

3. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be provided with fire protection, of a piping system including pipe lines extending from a common point exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, a manual valve in each line for starting the flow of carbon dioxide therethrough, a power operated Valve in each line for stopping the flow after the lapse of a predetermined time interval, motor driven timer mechanism for measuring the lapse of time for said power operated valve, a discharge nozzle connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to discharge into the room to which its pipe line extends, means for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the pipeY line' leadingl to the room in which a iire is burning to effect complete flooding of the roomV with carbon dioxide vapors moved under their own pressure through the singie pipe line and its` discharge nozzleand means under the control of the timer mechanism for exhausting the carbon dioxide vapors from said room after extinguishment of the lire.

4. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combinationwith a building having several rooms to be provided with fire protection, of a piping system including pipe lines extending from a common point exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, control valve means in each line for starting and stopping the flow of carbon dioxide therethrough, timer mechanism for causing the flow stopping operation of the control valve means to occur after a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide has passed through the line, a discharge nozzle connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to discharge into the room to which its pipe line leads, means for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the pipe line leading to the room in which a fire is burning to effect complete flooding of the room with carbon dioxide vapors moved under their own pressure through the single pipe line and its discharge nozzle, and means under the control of the timer mechanism for exhausting the carbon dioxide vapors from said room after extinguishment of the fire, said exhaust means including a blower. and conduits extending from the intake of the blower to the several rooms.

5. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be provided with fire protection, of a piping system including pipe lines extending from a common point exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, power driven timer means, control valve means in each line for starting and stopping the i flow of carbon dioxide therethrough with the valve means being under the control of the timer means for its flow stopping operation, a discharge nozzle connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to discharge into the room to which its pipe line leads, means for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the pipe line leading to the room in which a re is burning to effect complete flooding of the room with carbon dioxide vapors moved under their own pressure through the single pipe line and its discharge nozzle, and means under the control of the timer means for exhausting the carbon dioxide vapors from said room after extinguishment of the fire, said exhaust means including a blower, conduits extending from the intake of the blower to the several rooms, and valve means in each conduit for controlling the exhausting of carbon dioxide vapors therethrough.

6. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be provided with fire protection, of a piping system including pipe lines extending from a common point exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, control valve means in each line for starting and stopping the ow of carbon dioxide therethrough, a discharge nozzle connected to each. one of said pipe lines and arranged to discharge into the room to which its pipe line leads, means for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the pipe line leading to the room in which a fire is burning to effect complete flooding of the room with carbon dioxide vapors moved under their own pressure through the single pipe line and its discharge nozzle, means for exhausting the carbon dioxide vapors from Said room after extinguishment of the fire, said exhaust means including a blower, conduits extending vfrom the intake of the blower to the several rooms, valve means in each conduit for controlling the passage of carbon dioxide vapors therethrough, and timer mechanism for rautomatically controllingl the operation of the conduit valve means and for starting and stopping the blower.

7. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of fire, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in the piping system for starting the timer device, and means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded after the operation of the timer device for a predetermined length of time.

8. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of re, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in the piping system for starting the timer device, a weight operated valve for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded, and means actuated in response to operation of the timer device for releasing the weight to effect closing of the valve.

9. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of fire, of a piping system leading'from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in the piping system for starting the timer device, a weight operated valve for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded, and electrical means controlled from the said panel for releasing the weight to effect closing of the valve after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time.

10. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the cornbination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of a fire, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said.

piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a motor driven blower, piping leading from each room to the intake of the blower, and a separate valve for each room to control the exhausting of the vapors by the blower; a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in its piping system for starting the timer device, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time, and means for operating the exhaust valve to the flooded room and starting the blower after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time beyond the stopping of the feeding of carbon dioxide.

11. Carbon dioxide flre extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of re, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a motor driven blower, piping leading from each room to the intake of the blower, and a separate valve for each room to control the exhausting of the vapors by the blower; a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide. in its piping system for starting the timer device, a weight operated valve for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded,

means actuated in response to operation of the F timer device for releasing the weight to effect the closing of the valve, and means for opening the exhaust valve to the flooded room and for starting the blower after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time beyond the stopping of the feeding of carbon dioxide.

12. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of fire, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a motor driven blower, piping leading from each room to the intake of the blower, and a separate valve for each room to control the exhausting of the vapors by the blower, a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in its piping system for starting the timer device, a weight operated valve for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide into the room being flooded, electrical means controlled from the said panel for releasing the weight to effect closing of the valve after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time, and means for opening the exhaust valve to the flooded room and for starting the blower after the timer device has operated for a predetermined length of time beyond the stopping of the feeding of carbon dioxide.

13. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising the combination with a building having several rooms to be independently flooded with carbon dioxide vapors in the event of fire, of a piping system leading from a control panel in an exterior wall of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the control panel for connecting a mobile source of supply of liquid carbon dioxide to said piping system, a separate valve for each room to start the feeding of carbon dioxide thereto, a nozzle discharging a mixture of vapor and snow into each room from the piping system, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a motor driven blower, piping leading from each room to the intake of the blower, and a separate valve for each room to control the exhausting of the vapors by the blower; a motor driven timer device, means actuated by carbon dioxide in its piping system for starting the timer device, a weight operated valve for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the room being flooded, means actuated in response to operation of the timer device for releasing the weight to effect closing of the valve, a weight for opening the exhaust valve to the flooded room, control means for starting and stopping the blower motor, and means actuated in response to operation of the timer device for releasing the weight for the exhaust valve to effect opening of said valve and for effecting operation of the control means for the blower motor.

14. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described, comprising a building having an enclosed space to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, a pipe line leading from the exterior of the building to the enclosed space, means located exteriorly of the building for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to said pipe line, a valve in the pipe line for starting the feeding of carbon dioxide therethrough into the enclosed space, discharge means at the enclosure end of the pipe line for releasing the carbon dioxide into the ing, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to thedesired room, and means set in mospace, and means set in motion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing through the pipe line for permitting delivery of a sufficient quantity of carbon dioxide to the enclosed space to produce the desired re extinguishing concentration and for then stopping said delivery.

15. Carbon dioxide flre extinguishing appa-` ratus of the type described, comprising a bullding having two or more rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of flre, a piping system leading from the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the system, valve means for selectively starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide discharge means for each room connected to the piping system, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, and means set in motion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing to the desired room for effecting actuation of the feed stopping means after sufficient carbon dioxide has been delivered to the room to build up the desired ilre extinguishing concentration.

16. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having two or more rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, a piping system leading from the exterior of the building to each one of the rooms, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the system, valve means for selectively starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide discharge means for each room connected to the piping system, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide vapor exhausting means including a blower, apiping system leading from the intake of the blower to each one of said rooms, and valve means for selectively connecting the blower to the portion of the vapor exhausting piping leading tothe desired room; and means set in motion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing to the desired room for effecting actuation of the feed stopping means after sufficient carbon dioxide has been delivered to the room to build up the desired re extinguishing concentration and for effecting operation of the carbon dioxide vapor exhausting means to withdraw the vapors from the flooded room after they have been permitted to remain therein for a predetermined length of time after feeding of carbon dioxide has stopped.

17. Carbon dioxide flre extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having a plurality of rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of flre, a piping system extending from the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the system, valve means for selectively starting the feedi^g of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide discharge means for each room connected to the piping system, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for indicating the room or rooms in which re is burntion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing to the desired room for effecting actuation of the feed stopping means after sufficient carbon dioxide has been delivered to the room to build up the desired fire extinguishing concentration.

18. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having two or more rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, a piping system leading from the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the system, valve means for selectively starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide discharge means for each room connected to the piping system, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for indicating the room or rooms in which fire is burning, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, means set in motion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing to the desired room for effecting actuation of the feed stopping means after sufficient carbon dioxide has been delivered to the room to build up the desired flre extinguishing concentration, and means at the exterior extremity of the carbon dioxide piping system for indicating when and in connection with which room carbon dioxide-is being fed;

19. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a build-- ing having a plurality of rooms -to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, a piping systern leading from the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at the exterior extremity of the piping system for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to the system, valve means for selectively starting thek feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide discharge means for each room connected to the piping system, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide vapor exhausting means including a blower, a piping system leading from the intake of the blower to each one of said rooms, and valve means for selectively connecting the blower to the portion of the vapor exhausting piping leading to the desired room; means set in motion at the time carbon dioxide starts flowing to the desired room for effecting actuation of the feed stopping means after sufficient carbon dioxide has been delivered to the room to build up the desired fire extinguishing concentration and for effecting operation of the carbon dioxide vapor exhausting means to withdraw the vapors from the flooded room after they have been permitted to remain therein for a predetermined length of time after feeding of carbon dioxide has stopped, and means at the exterior extremity of the carbon dioxide piping system for indicating when and in connection with which room carbon dioxide is being fed and vapors are being exhausted.

20. Carbon dioxide re extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having a plurality of rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, af piping system leading from a control point at the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at said control point for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbonldioxide to said piping system, valve means operable from said control point for selectively starting the-feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, means visible from the control point for measuring the lapse of time, means for starting the operation of said time measuring means when carbon dioxide starts flowing through the system, and means operable from the control point for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room after said time measuring means has indicated the lapse of a predetermined time interval.

21. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having a plurality of rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, ,a piping system leading from a control point at the exterior of the building to each one of said rooms, means at said control point for connecting a mobile source of supply of carbon dioxide to said piping system, valve means operable from said control point for selectively starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room, carbon dioxide vapor exhausting means selectively connectable to each one of said rooms, means visible from the control point for measuring the lapse of time, means starting the operation of said time measuring means when carbon dioxide starts flowing through the system, means operable from the control point for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide to the desired room after said time measuring means has indicated the lapse of a predetermined time interval, and means operable from the control point for starting operation of the vapor exhausting means and for connecting the desired room thereto after said time measuring means has indicated the lapse of a predetermined time interval following the stopping of the feed of carbon dioxide to the room.

22. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having a plurality of rooms to be ooded with carbon dioxide in the event of re, a carbon dioxide piping system connectable to a source of supply and leading to each one of said rooms, said system including at least one discharge device for each room delivering carbon dioxide at a level close to the ceiling of the room, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a blower and piping leading from the intake of the blower to each one of said rooms with the connections to said rooms being located adjacent their door levels, manually actuated means for starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to any one of said rooms, means for stopping the feeding of carbon dioxide, means for starting the blower of the exhausting system, means for connecting the flooded room to the blower through the proper exhaust piping, and timer means set in motion when the feeding of carbon dioxide is started for controlling and timing the sequence of operation of the last three mentioned means.

23. Carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of the type described comprising a building having two or more rooms to be flooded with carbon dioxide in the event of fire, a carbon dioxide piping system connectible to a source of supply and leading to each one of said rooms, said system including at least one discharge device for each room delivering carbon dioxide at a point close to the ceiling level, a carbon dioxide vapor exhausting system including a blower and piping leading from the intake of the blower to each of 'said rooms with the connections to said rooms being located adjacent their floor levels, means for starting the feeding of carbon dioxide to any desired one of said rooms, automatic means set in motion as a result of starting said feed for effecting stopping of the feeding of carbon dioxide after the selected room has been properly flooded, and means for effecting operation of said exhausting system to withdraw the vapors from said room or rooms after they have been left in a flooded condition for a predetermined length of time.

24. A carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system, comprising the combination with a property having several hazards to be provided with re protection, of -a piping system extending from a supply point relative to said property to each one of said hazards and including a pipe line for each hazard, valve means for starting the flow of carbon dioxide through the piping system to any selected one of said hazards, power operated valve means in each line for stopping the flow of carbon dioxide to the selected hazard after a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide has been delivered thereto, power operated timer means operable to limit the length of time carbon dioxide is delivered to the particular hazard involved to provide the predetermined amount and for then causing operation of the power operated valve for the hazard to stop the flow of carbon dioxide, discharge means connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to properly deliver the c arbon dioxide passing therethrough to the hazard served thereby, and means for connecting a source of supply of carbon dioxide to the piping system at said supply point.

25. A carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system, comprising the combination with a property having several hazards to be provided with fire protection, of a piping system extending from a flxed supply point relative to said property to each one of said hazards and including a pipe line for each hazard, means for connecting a source of supply of carbon dioxide to the piping system at said supply point, valve means for starting the ow of carbon dioxide through the piping system to any selected one of said hazards, discharge means connected to each one of said pipe lines and arranged to properly deliver the carbon dioxide passing therethrough to the hazard served thereby, and time controlled means set in motion as a result of starting the operation of the system for permitting delivery of a sufficient quantity of carbon dioxide to the hazard to effect extinguishment of the re and for then stopping said delivery.

26. A carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system, comprising a hazard to be provided with fire protection, a pipe line leading from a source of supply of carbon dioxide to said hazard, discharge means connected to the pipe line and arranged to properly deliver the carbon dioxide passing therethrough to the hazard, a valve in the pipe line for starting the feeding of carbon dioxide therethrough, and time controlled means set in motion as a result of starting operation of the system for permitting delivery of a sufficient quantity of carbon dioxide to the hazard to effect extinguishment of the fire and for then stopping said delivery.

ERIC GEERTZ. 

